Second-Tier Lies

As I said in a previous post, once you get past the first-tier lie that Abramoff gave money to Democrats, you're faced with the second-tier lie that he directed his clients to do so. As Atrios says, this is mostly a re-run, but as another of my earlier posts illustrates, you have to repeat these things over and over again to have even a chance of piercing the dense fog clouding the minds of most major media morons. Brad DeLong over at TPM Cafe runs through it once again for the slow-witted:

TPMCafe || One More Look at the Washington Post Clown Show...

Ah. "Directed" campaign contributions. If I didn't have a sick sense of humor, I wouldn't be so amused by this:

Washington Post ombudsman Deborah Howell, January 22, 2006: "I should have said [that Jack Abramoff] directed his client Indian tribes to make campaign contributions to members of Congress from both parties.... [T]here is no doubt about the campaign contributions that were directed to lawmakers of both parties..."

And washingtonpost.com honcho Jim Brady, January 20, 2006: "Well, they... they objected originally to the fact that [Deborah Howell]... that when she stated it, she made it seem as if [Abramoff] personally was donating to Democrats. But what she meant to say was that he was directing [his clients to give] money to Democrats, which as I said, is beyond any kind of argument..."

Versus:

Washington Post reporter Susan Schimdt, February 22, 2004: "Under Abramoff's guidance, the four tribes -- Michigan's Saginaw Chippewas, the Agua Caliente of California, the Mississippi Choctaws and the Louisiana Coushattas... have loosened their traditional ties to the Democratic Party, giving Republicans two-thirds of the $2.9 million they have donated to federal candidates since 2001, records show..."

And the late David Rosenbaum, New York Times reporter, April 3, 2002, page A1: "Mr. Abramoff says he represents only those [clients] who stand for conservative principles.... ''All of my political work,'' he said, ''is driven by philosophical interests, not by a desire to gain wealth.''... Mr. Abramoff's background and personality hardly fit the mold of the typical Washington lobbyist.... Most unusual, [Abramoff] is, by his own description, a committed ideologue.... tries hard to persuade his fellow Washington lobbyists to give more generously to the Republican Party, its candidates and conservative organizations. He expects to raise as much as $5 million this year, he said, and plans to donate as much as $250,000 personally. Mr. Abramoff's rising influence is also illustrative of... [how] success can be built on a strong relationship between a lobbyist and a single, powerful lawmaker... Mr. DeLay..."

Which group of people do you think we should believe?

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